


Strangers on a Train

by gaensebluemchen



Category: The Last Door (Video Game)
Genre: First Meetings, not necessarily shippy but could be read as hints of slash I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:21:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27104872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaensebluemchen/pseuds/gaensebluemchen
Summary: Heading to London to start a new part of his life, young John Wakefield makes a new acquaintance.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Strangers on a Train

Rumbling loudly, the train set itself in motion, huffing smoke as it left the station. John Wakefield took a moment to look out of the window, to see the familiar landscape of his hometown pass him by. It would be a while until he would see it again – John was heading to London, where he would start medical school. He was looking forward to this new chapter of his life, but right now he could not help but feel a pang of homesickness. As soon as he arrived, he would write a letter home, he promised himself. With a sigh, John turned his back to the window.

He was still looking for a compartment. The train was, although not actually crowded, not particularly empty either. John longed for some privacy and quiet. He had a newspaper he wanted to read, but most of all, he wanted some time to collect his thoughts. The next compartment had only one other occupant. John opened the door.

"Excuse me? Is this seat taken?"

The other passenger looked up from a book. He was a young man, approximately John's age.

"No, please, sit down," he answered and gestured towards the bench opposite of him.

"Thank you."

John sat down. The stranger looked at him for another moment, then he resumed reading.

For a while, the rumbling of the train and the occasional rustle of paper as pages were being turned were the only sounds in the compartment. Nevertheless, John found it difficult to focus on his newspaper. His thoughts kept circling around his future; anticipation, hope and anxiety whirling through him until he felt almost giddy. He knew that there was no real reason for him to feel nervous as he had always been an excellent pupil. However, since his father was a doctor as well, he had high expectations in his son, and John worried if he would be able to meet them. His older brother had died three years ago, and ever since, John, suddenly his father's only heir, had tried to somehow fill the gap that his loss had left behind, had pushed himself to excel harder then he had before. But his successes in those three years had all felt hollow somehow, never quite enough. He felt tired.

John sighed. He probably should not focus on those gloomy thoughts. He folded his paper and put it aside, looking out of the window again. The landscape had changed, they had left the town far behind and were now passing seemingly endless pastures. The view was idyllic, but did not keep John's attention for long. His gaze kept wandering, idly following a small streak of dirt on the window pane to the frame, and trailing along the frame to where the other man's shoulder was resting against the wooden panelling. Following the line of his arm and elbow down to a slender, long-fingered hand, John found himself looking at the other man's book with curiosity. He could not make out the title on the spine, and he wondered what it was that had captured his silent companion's attention. A novel? Poetry maybe? John got lost in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, the other man reached the end of the page he was on, and, moving to turn to the next one, he looked up a little. For a moment, he paused, and then raised his head to meet John's eye. John flinched a little. He had not intended to stare, and the embaressment of being caught made him blush.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I didn't mean to stare," he said quickly and gave him an apologetic smile.

The other one raised a fine, dark eyebrow, but returned the smile.

"No need to apologize, I did not take offense."

He had a foreign accent, John noticed, perhaps something continental. His enunciation was too clear, seperating the words more than necessary instead of letting them flow together naturally. It sounded nice, though, John decided. Interesting.

"It's just that I could not help but notice your book. May I ask what you're reading?"

"An introduction to human anatomy. A gift from my father, since I'm heading to London to study medicine at St George's."

"Medicine? At St. George's?" John repeated, "I am also going to matriculate there! That will make us fellow students, I believe. Allow me to introduce myself: My name's John Wakefield."

The other one closed his book and extended a hand.

"Johan Kaufmann. Pleased to meet you."

They shook hands, and John smiled, a warm feeling replacing the anxiety he had felt early. Maybe this new part of his life would hold more in store than just hard work and exciting new knowledge. A fresh start...

And if he was lucky...

A new friend.


End file.
